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Citrus–Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe

Citrus–Poppy Seed Muffins
Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: | Makes: 12 muffins

Crunchy poppy seeds and bright citrus zest combine for tangy, fluffy muffins that are a treat any time of day.

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 2 medium lemons)
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest (from 1 medium orange)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
  • 3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place cupcake liners in a 12-well muffin pan; alternatively, coat the wells with butter. Set the pan aside.
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, zests, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.
  3. Whisk together the egg, yolk, and melted butter in a medium bowl until the eggs are broken up. Add the milk, juices, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until just evenly combined, about 22 strokes. (Do not overmix; the batter should be thick, but the ingredients should be evenly incorporated.)
  4. Fill the muffin wells about two-thirds of the way and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.
    Write a review | 13 Reviews
  • Citrus–Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe
    5

    I'm a newbie baker and loved these as being easy but a little bit different. Mine came out great! The recipe made 15 (in silicon cups), not 12, but I liked the size they came out. Might try a loaf pan next time...

  • reneenchristensen, I never actually tried baking it in a loaf pan, but I bet it would work just fine. Let us know if you try it, I'm sure others are curious, too! Amy Wisniewski, CHOW test kitchen

  • no big deal if i try to make a quick bread of this recipe, right?

  • Great texture, but not lemony enough for my taste, so I drizzled warm lemon juice with some dissolved sugar over the tops of the hot muffins when they came out of the oven. I also cut the sugar in the recipe in half; waaaay too sweet otherwise.

  • I made these last night and was so delightfully happy with the results! Only change I made was using Splenda instead of real sugar and they taste great!

  • I have made these at least three times, and they come out great every time! They are a favorite for breakfast in our house. I will have to find a substitute for the poppy seeds though as my husband drug tests for his job. Possibly craisins....

  • Caitlin, those numbers were, indeed, transposed. I have updated the recipe. Thanks! Amy Wisniewski CHOW Assoc. Food Editor

  • It seems unlikely that one medium lemon will yield a tablespoon of zest, but it it would take two medium oranges to yield the same amount. Perhaps those numbers were transposed vis-a-vis the fruits?

  • Boccone - I know this is old, but you should make sure that you're using fresh baking powder. I was using old baking powder that expired September last year; we went and replaced it a month ago and there is a HUGE difference between my baking goods then and now. Now, they're light, fluffy, and rise so damn well. Yum! I'm probably going to try whipping these together tonight.

  • A nice balance between poppy seed and citrus - If I can follow this recipe anyone can. I used skim milk since that's all we have in the house and likely had more zest using a whole lemon's and orange's worth.

  • Boccone, try to have all of your ingredients at room temperature (whole eggs in shell/set in warm water for about 2 minutes does the trick; you can nuke the milk for a few seconds, and then just wait for the buttter to cool to wrist temp.) When mixing, use either a rubber spatula (or I prefer my hand, with fingers stuck together as if you were doing the crawl stroke) and mix as if you were folding in egg whites--not a whipping around motion, but all around the sides, and then up from the bottom--just enough so that the dry ingredients are no longer visible. Try putting the oven up to 400 degrees to help with rising. faye delicious

  • Mine are tasty but quite dense and heavy. I'm afraid just not a baker... The only thing I know for sure is the house smells amazing, and I zested my right index finger and got lemon juice in the cut as a reward. I'll try again, still have lots of citrus and poppy seeds!

  • Good recipe! I used 2% milk and they were still light and fluffy. I don't know if I had full tablespoons of the zest, but used zest from one large orange and one lemon.

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